Use visuals (reserve triangles, combined ratio dashboards) and avoid dense text. Your audience needs to understand risk, not debits and credits alone.
I have written this as a structured guide that can either be read as an article or converted directly into slide content. Introduction Accounting for insurance companies is fundamentally different from standard corporate accounting. Unlike a retail business that sells products, an insurance company sells promises —promises to pay for future losses. This uncertainty makes their financial reporting complex, heavily regulated, and unique.
| Concept | Explanation | | :--- | :--- | | | Not revenue when received. They are a liability (unearned premium reserve) until the coverage period expires. | | Loss Reserves | An estimate of what the company will pay for claims that have already happened but haven’t been reported or settled. | | UPR (Unearned Premium Reserve) | The portion of premiums that applies to future coverage periods. | | Reinsurance | Insurance for insurers. Shown as an asset (recoverable from reinsurers). |